No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 32- My definition of love

"Please," I begged, my voice breaking. "I'm begging you. Don't do this to Aiah. Don't force her into something she doesn't want."

She tried to pull her hand away, but I held on tighter. My knees gave out, and before I knew it, I was kneeling on the cold marble floor.

"Please," I whispered again, tears welling in my eyes. "If I have to beg a hundred times, I will. If I have to kneel here all day, I will. Just-just don't take her away from me."

Aiah's mother looked down at me, her face unreadable. For a second, I thought I saw something flicker in her eyes-pity? Annoyance? Amusement? I couldn't tell.

"Stand up," she said coldly. "You're embarrassing yourself."

But I didn't move.

"I love her," I said again, my voice shaking. "I love her so much it hurts. And I know she loves me too. Why can't that be enough?"

She sighed, shaking her head as if I were nothing more than a stubborn child. "Love," she muttered, "is not enough in this world."

"Then I'll make it enough!" I cried, gripping her hand even tighter. "I'll prove it to you! Just-just don't take her away from me. Please."

For the first time, Aiah's mother truly looked at me. Studied me. And when she spoke again, her voice was quiet but sharp.

"Tell me, Mikha," she said, leaning down slightly. "If I say no-if I tell you to leave her alone forever-what will you do?"

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I looked up at Aiah's mother. My knees were bruised from kneeling, but I didn't care.

"I will do everything," I said, my voice shaking but firm. "I will prove to you that my love for Aiah is enough. I will work hard, build a future where she will never have to suffer. Hindi ko man kayang tapatan ang yaman niyo, pero kaya kong ibigay ang pagmamahal na hindi matutumbasan ng kahit anong pera o kapangyarihan."

Her sharp gaze bore into mine, unimpressed. She crossed her arms and let out a quiet, bitter chuckle. "Anong magagawa ng pagmamahal mo, iha?"

Her words sliced through me, but I held my ground.

"Mapapakain ba niyan si Aiah? Mabibigyan ba siya ng buhay na nararapat sa kanya?" she continued, voice dripping with disdain. "Love is nothing without power and money. Your love-" she looked me up and down as if I were worthless, "-will never be enough for someone like my daughter."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing myself not to break under her gaze. "Maybe to you, it's not enough. But to Aiah, it is. And that's all that matters to me."

A flicker of something passed in her eyes-annoyance, maybe even a bit of amusement. But she quickly masked it with indifference.

I tightened my grip on my bag, feeling the weight of every word she threw at me. But no matter how much she tried to break me, I wouldn't stop fighting.

Because Aiah was worth it.

She had always been worth it.

Aiah's mom let out a sigh, shaking her head as if she was talking to a naïve child. "Love will kill you, Mikha."

I froze at her words, my heart pounding against my chest.

She took a slow step toward me, her sharp eyes locking onto mine. "You think love is enough? You think it will protect you? No, love is a weakness. It will make you sacrifice everything, and in the end, it will destroy you."

I clenched my fists, but she continued.

"Love blinds people," she said, her tone calm but laced with something sinister. "It makes you desperate. Look at yourself-you're on your knees, begging. Humiliating yourself for someone who is meant for greater things." She smirked slightly. "And what do you think will happen next, Mikha? You'll fight for her? And then what? You'll suffer. You'll break. Because love doesn't win against power."